ADDISON COUNTY — A veteran triathlete and owner of a popular Middlebury fitness center was injured Monday while riding his bicycle in Leicester.
According to Vermont State Police, Steve Hare, 55, of Middlebury was riding his bike west on Fern Lake Road toward Leicester Four Corners at about 4:20 p.m. Monday. A minivan driven by Matthew Newton, 42, of Leicester was traveling on Fern Lake Road in the same direction.
Police report that Newton told them he swerved to go around Hare just before Fern Lake Road intersects with Route 7, and that as he was almost past, Hare allegedly turned his bike to the left and collided with minivan’s right rear quarter panel.
Traffic on Route 7 slowed as bystanders went to Hare’s aid and called emergency services. Reports indicated Hare suffered a bad road rash and broken wrist and hip bones. He was transported to Porter Hospital.
Hare is a veteran competitor in both the Ironman Triathlon, consisting of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike and a 26.2-mile marathon, and the Ultraman Triathlon, which encompasses a 6.5-mile swim, 261-mile bike leg and a double marathon run.
Hare and his wife, Shelly, have owned and operated the Vermont Sun Fitness Center on Exchange Street in Middlebury since 1986. The company also established the Vermont Sun Triathlon series at Lake Dunmore the same year, and continues to run the popular races each summer.
The accident remains under investigation.
In other recent activity, troopers from the New Haven barracks:
•  On March 14 at approximately 1:06 p.m. received a complaint of a restraining order violation. Police said their investigation revealed that Christopher Cram, 34, of Bristol violated the order by sending text messages to the victim. A trooper cited Cram for violation of a court order.
•  On March 14 at around 7:30 p.m. responded to a motor vehicle accident on Route 125 in Cornwall, where they found that a black Ford Escape driven by Philip Grace, 69, of Addison had struck and killed a deer. Grace told troopers that the deer ran across the roadway in his direction of travel and he was unable to brake in time. The Escape sustained moderate damage to its front bumper and was towed from the scene.
•  On March 16 at 12:42 a.m. stopped a motor vehicle driven by Cordell Jones, 25, of Winooski for allegedly traveling at 65 mph in a 50 mph zone on Route 22A in Orwell. Jones was cited for possession of marijuana.
•  On March 17 at 8:55 a.m. cited Patrick Hotte, 33, of Middlebury for driving with a suspended license on Meigs Road in Vergennes.
•  On March 17 at 2:50 p.m. arrested Jonathan Whiter, 33, of Ferrisburgh for driving with a suspended license at the New Haven VSP barracks. A trooper had stopped Whiter on Route 7 in New Haven and discovered that his license was under suspension and that he had an active warrant for his arrest. Police lodged Whiter at the Addison County Sheriff’s Department.
•  On March 17 at 3:50 p.m. arrested Edward McDonough, 49, of Rutland for driving with a suspended license at the New Haven VSP barracks. McDonough had driven into the barracks to obtain a bill of sale for a vehicle. It was discovered that his license was under suspension for life and he was processed and released with a citation to appear in Addison Criminal Court.
•  On March 18 at 6:37 p.m. stopped a motor vehicle driven by Tyler Johnson, 22, of Leicester on Swamp Road in Cornwall for speeding. The trooper cited Johnson for driving with a criminally suspended license and possession of marijuana.
•  On March 18 at 9:14 p.m. stopped a motor vehicle driven by Mark Curavoo, 42, of Bomoseen on Route 30 in Whiting for speeding. The trooper cited Curavoo for possession of marijuana.